Rare Billie Jean King Footage Revealed in New Documentary Exploring Her Private Life
Give Me the Ball! features rare Billie Jean King footage, interviews with Serena Williams and Elton John, and an ESPN premiere on 22 November 2026.
Previously unseen footage of Billie Jean King alongside a young Serena and Venus Williams is among the discoveries featured in Give Me the Ball!, a documentary exploring the tennis champion’s sporting achievements and the personal sacrifices behind her public life.
The film premieres on ESPN in the United States on Sunday 22 November 2026, following its Sundance debut and screenings at more than 30 international film festivals.
Directed by Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff, the documentary combines archive material with King’s own reflections and interviews with people who witnessed her influence on sport and society.
Rare Footage Connects Generations of Tennis Stars
One of the documentary’s discoveries is footage filmed in 1988 showing King with Serena and Venus Williams when the sisters were still children.
The material offers a glimpse of the connection between a player who helped transform women’s professional tennis and two athletes who would later become among the sport’s most successful competitors.
The filmmakers have also uncovered photographs and footage spanning seven decades of women’s tennis, including newly transferred archive material.
Serena Williams, Chris Evert and Elton John contribute interviews, adding personal perspectives to King’s account of her career.
King herself features extensively, discussing the decisions and sacrifices that accompanied her achievements.
The Personal Cost of Public Success
King won 39 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed doubles and became a leading campaigner for equal opportunities and prize money in women’s tennis.
Her victory over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes became one of the sport’s most widely recognised events, but her influence extended beyond individual matches.
In 1981, King’s former partner Marilyn Barnett filed a palimony lawsuit, bringing their past relationship into public view.
King was subsequently forced to address her sexuality publicly at a time when lesbian athletes faced considerable prejudice and commercial consequences.
The documentary places her personal experiences alongside her professional achievements, examining the pressures she faced while challenging established expectations about women in sport.
King’s relationship with former tennis player Ilana Kloss also forms part of her wider life story. The couple married in 2018 after decades together.
From Sundance to ESPN
Give Me the Ball! premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2026 and subsequently screened at more than 30 festivals worldwide, receiving audience and jury awards.
It was produced by Ridley Scott Associates and Story Syndicate in association with Elton John’s Rocket Sports.
The film forms part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary collection, which explores the connections between sport, culture and history.
An awards-qualifying theatrical release is also planned for November, ahead of the television premiere.
Where Can You Watch Give Me the Ball!?
The documentary premieres on Sunday 22 November 2026 at 8.30pm Eastern Time on ESPN and the ESPN App in the United States.
A UK broadcast or streaming release has not yet been confirmed.
